Biological products are often frozen after collection to preserve the components until further processing is carried out. Many collections are pooled and homogenized prior to freezing. When the frozen products are ready for additional processing, they must be carefully thawed to prevent overheating and deanaturation because some components are extremely sensitive to heat and can degrade during thawing. Thawing is often carried out in large vertical mixing vessels that have external jackets where heating media is circulated. Frozen products are added to the thawing vessel, are warmed, and thaw from thermal transfer through the walls of the jacketed vessel. The thawing product is typically stirred by a stirrer or impeller. Because the density of frozen, water-containing products is often less than the liquid form, the frozen maternal floats and collects at the top of the vessel, with the molten, thawed liquid transitioning to the lower portion of the vessel. One problem with such vertical thawing vessels is that the thawed liquid continues to be warmed after it has thawed and this can denature or degrade sensitive components. The apparatus and methods described herein overcome such shortcomings and provide a rapid and efficient means to thaw biological products without overheating and/or denaturing heat-sensitive components.